The present invention generally relates to a heating and cooking apparatus having a kneading trough detachably accommodated therein, and more particularly, to an installation method and arrangement of the kneading trough in the heating and cooking apparatus.
Conventionally, an oven has been used when an object or a food is cooked through roasting. Meanwhile, a kneading device has been employed for the object to be cooked through kneading. Recently, however, an automatic bread baking apparatus has been brought into the market by which, for example, bread can be automatically made through consecutive operation from kneading to baking. Before the arrival of the automatic bread baking apparatus, an oven equipped with a kneading arrangement has been also in the market. In the above-mentioned oven equipped with the kneading arrangement, after a trough special for kneading is accommodated in the oven so as to knead the material, the trough should be taken out of the oven, and the kneaded material should be changed into another trough or plate for fermentation and baking.
The former automatic bread baking apparatus is exclusively used for bread. Therefore, in the case where a variety of breads such as rolls, croissants, etc. are desired, the apparatus can serve only for a part of a series of the baking operation, namely, kneading and fermentation, with requiring an oven to be added which is large enough to bake several rolls or croissants, etc. at one time on a plate.
On the other hand, in the latter oven having a kneading device, in either case where bread is baked, or the other kind of bread is desired, the material after finishing partial fermentation should be changed into another trough for baking operation, thus resulting in complicated and troublesome procedure.
In recent years, it has been thought out that three cooking operations, that is, kneading, baking and roasting operations, each conventionally fulfilled by the kneading device, automatic bread baking apparatus and oven, respectively, be performed by a single cooking unit. The cooking unit is achieved simply by adding a special trough into the oven, which is therefore advantageous in space-saving and cost-saving points of view. Accordingly, one becomes able to bake bread automatically whenever he or she wishes. Moreover, although the kneaded material is necessary to be transferred onto the oven plate for baking, a variety of breads can be fully satisfied by the cooking unit. Not only the kneading operation which has been considerably annoying to a user can be automatically done by the unit, but those kinds of breads that are complicated in shape and frequently required can be really automatically baked.
It is needless to say that the above-described cooking unit is able to be used in combination with an electronic oven range or a toaster range, realizing more highly concentrated cooking apparatus.
The trough exclusive for kneading and baking operations has generally the capacity of 1-2 loaves of bread, which will be apparent from the fact that the automatic bread baking apparatus in the commercial market is rendered capable of baking 1-2 loaves of bread. When the trough is put in or taken out of the center of the heating chamber of the electric oven, many problems are given rise to. In other words, the operation itself is troublesome, causing an erroneous operation which results in an accident or breakage of the oven, a burn of the user, etc. In addition, since the kneading operation requires large rotating force with high speeds, it is necessary that the trough and the electric oven be completely secured to each other.
It is clear that the same thing goes with a heating and cooking apparatus, not limited to the above case, which can make rice-cakes, sourdoughs of cakes and cookies or can serve as a juicer or a mixer rotated at high speeds.
FIG. 1 shows an example how a kneading trough is fixed to the heating and cooking apparatus in the conventional manner. The kneading trough 1 has a foot part 2, so that the trough 1 is mounted through the foot part 2 in a to-be-engaged portion 3 formed in a fitting part 5 at the bottom of a heating chamber. Several projections 4 are formed in the foot part 2. Accordingly, when the trough 1 is placed at the bottom of the heating chamber and rotated by predetermined angles, the projections 4 of the foot part 2 are come into secure engagement with the to-be-engaged portion 3 at the bottom of the heating chamber. Since the foot part 2 is formed circular, a lock member 6 is provided so as to prevent the trough 1 from slipping off the to-beengaged portion 3 during rotation. The lock member 6 is come in position by vertical movement of a lever 7.
According to the above-described method for installing and securing the trough into the apparatus through rotation of the trough, both hands of the user are needed to install or detach the trough. In the case where a series of operation from kneading to baking is consecutively carried out, for example, when bread is baked, the trough should be taken out of the apparatus while the lever of the lock member is manipulated after the bread is completely baked. Particularly, when the trough is desired to be removed from the apparatus immediately after the completion of baking, it may be feared that a burn or an injury be possibly given to the user since the interior of the heating chamber becomes hot.
In the electric oven or the electronic oven range which can function also as a kneading device, it is so arranged that the kneading trough is fixedly accommodated into the box-like heating chamber, therefore, into a limited space of the heating chamber. The trough is inserted into the interior of the heating chamber from a lateral window, and placed in the bottom of the heating chamber in such manner as to be pressed down into the bottom of the heating chamber, and then rotated for fixing. Thus, the installation method of the trough in the electric oven or the electronic oven range equipped with the kneading arrangement is quite inconvenient in use. The oven may be operated even though the engagement between the trough and the main body of the oven is insufficient, causing an accident of the oven or taking a fire. Moreover, if the inside surface of the heating chamber is coated with points or undergoes the surface-treatment, the coated or the surface-treated surface may be damaged because of the friction during the engagement, resulting in unfavorable appearance. Further, in the case where the to-be-engaged portion, in the bottom of the heating chamber is formed by a sheet metal, the end surface of the sheet metal is exposed and accordingly becomes an obstacle to cleaning, resulting in residual moisture and dregs in the engaging portion. Hands may be cut when the stains or the food residues are removed. Accordingly, the installation method of the trough through rotation is disadvantageous from the viewpoints of operating convenience, cleanliness and safety.
Moreover, according to the above-described installation method of the trough through rotation, when the trough is installed in or taken out of the oven, a large friction force works in the engaging portion, and therefore projections and the to-be-engaged portion are warn out. The engaging force is lessened as the trough is repeatedly installed in or taken out of the oven, resulting in rattlings during the rotation or disengagement of the trough from the oven.
In fact, as described hereinabove, the conventional method for installing the kneading trough into the oven carries such fears as are resulted in a failure of cooking because of the rattling or disengagement of the trough during the operation as well as an accident or a fire of the oven. Further, in the conventional installation method, the user may be burnt or get injured, or receive an electric shock.